Kavinay
Abnett's books don't need to be set in 40k, but Warhammer is better off for his tight integration of lore into his series.
A bit of a drop-off really from Abnett's great start to the series. If it weren't for the Terran intrigue, there'd be very to this book besides some redundant Black Templar nonsense.
Cruyff > Guardiola >Messi. Despite Kuper's attempt to build up Barcelona as more than a club before it's recent fall, it's a bit rose-tinted and misses the context of how every other big club also transformed with the influx of mega TV and IP revenue streams since the 80's. It's actually not even just football, but most professional sports that have seen the rise of player power and boardroom's enslaved to marketing-driven agendas. Sure Barcelona's essence might be unique in the terms of Cruyff-ian legacy the Kuper extolls, but it was always just a club even if that 2008 - 2009 side played the greatest football we'll ever see.
Builds up to an unbelievable climax on the throneworld that... you don't get to see because you're supposed to buy a sourcebook too.
It was ever thus.
Banner's job is actually quite difficult, make a simple case that political rhetoric about the use of history is completely antithetical to the actual practice of reassessing the past against new sources and frames of reference. His examples though of common controversies about revisionism are well chosen and each expose a new wrinkle about how a static view of the past doesn't just miss the point but also loses clarity in pursuit of absolute truth.
Just a note, it's not a how to book. There's really not a lot of good coping advice here besides commiserating over how many other sports are plagued with the same problems.
Is it perfect? No. But is it a sincere attempt at telling a story the moves the characters and franchise forward? Yes. Unlike what Abrams and Terrio eventually cobbled together, there are some real moments of genuine thought and emotion in this script that would have been a fitting end to the trilogy.
Ruckley's main book remains meandering and underwhelming, which is unfortunate given his one-shot in the Annual is great! Tread and Circuits and the Halloween special also go quite a way towards making up for the flagship run too.
“Thought for the day: Why are you thinking?” lol
It would be exciting to see what Gillen could do if given more of a free hand with the grimdark.
Delightful read and Schoening's art with Delgado's colours is possibly the most vibrant TF book ever.
There are a few glaring problems (i.e. treatment of women!) but I do genuinely wish more of these were made. Great idea to provide interesting backstory for immortals we see for only a few minutes on screen.
Outstanding. So much thought and detail goes into the series and it's great to get Cannon's “director commentary” on a re-read.
A refreshing contrast to the rest of the Dark Age novels. Much like Stackpole's earlier novels, this book moves great chunks of the timeline forward.
Alaric is just as annoying as Victor though... Obviously he's going to end up IlKhan and that's just repeating the sins of BT past with Victor simply being the greatest and most privileged product of divine right in the galaxy. Blergh.
It's a shame the fiction and timeline died or went fallow shortly after this book.
It often feels more like a book about Schütte's artistic tastes rather than insights into the band.